Canva is surely a great graphic design tool that lets you make awesome designs in a short time. One of the cool things about Canva is its indent feature.

However, the indent function is not available in every file format. Canva provides the indent function only in the ‘Doc’ file format.

Therefore, using the indent function in the Doc file format is quite straightforward. However, if you want to add indent in other formats, such as posters, flyers, logos, etc., then you need to do a bit of manual work, which we will cover along with first-line indent and also hanging indent.

How to Indent Text in Canva: (First-line Indent)

It’s quite easy to indent in Canva using the indent feature, which is only available in ‘Doc’ file format, so let’s have a look at how to indent in Canva:

Step 1: Create or Open Doc File in Canva

Step 2: Add Some Text

After you create the new doc file, add some text in the text box.

Step 3: Place Your Cursor

Next, you need to place your cursor before the first word of the paragraph.

Step 4: Add Text Indent

Once you place your cursor, it’s time to add an indent by clicking on the indent icon, which is located at the top bar, or you can press the ‘Tab’ key from your keyboard.

This is how you add intent in Canva, but as I stated, this indent feature is only available in the ‘Doc’ file format. However, there is a limitation.

For example, you cannot use this function to add more indent at the beginning of a paragraph because Canva has set a fixed size of margin. In this situation, you must manually add an indent, as I have explained below.

How to Manually Indent Text in Canva: (First-line Indent)

Here, you will need to make a manual effort to add an indent to your paragraph or text. So start it by creating or opening a design file, adding a text box, and putting some text on it.

As you noticed, there is no indent icon at the top bar because the indent feature is only available in the “Doc” file format. Now we need to make a manual effort to add an indent.

Step 1: Place your Cursor

Place your mouse cursor before the first word of the paragraph.

Step 2: Add Spacing

Next, press the “spacebar” key repeatedly to move the text towards the right side.

Pro Tip: Count the spaces you added so you can use the same amount in other paragraphs.

So, this is how to manually add an indent in Canva. Although this is not an official way to add an indent, but still an affordable way to achieve the result.

What is the use of text indentation?

Text indentation is used in a variety of contexts to organize content, provide clarity, and create visual separation in professional, creative, and academic contexts.

However, if you’re an academic writer, then indenting the first line is not enough for you because when you’re dealing with reference lists (e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago style), you need to add a hanging indent to make it simple for the readers to discern between entries.

How to Make Hanging Indent in Canva

In a hanging indent, the first line of a paragraph is aligned with the left margin, while the other lines are half an inch indented from the left margin.

Learn how to do hanging indent in Canva:

Step 1: Add Multiple Text Boxes

The first thing you need to do is add multiple text boxes for each line.

Step 2: Group Text Boxes

After adding multiple text boxes, its time to group all the text boxes except for the first one. This will let you move all three text boxes at once.

Step 3: Move Text Boxes to Right

Finally, select the layer that you already grouped in step 2, then hold the “Shift” key and drag to the right side.

So, this is the process of creating a hanging indent in Canva. It takes a little while, but it’s the only way to get the desired result, as Canva doesn’t have a hanging indent feature yet.

Also read: How to make superscript in canva?

Conclusion

You can use the indent feature only in the Canva ‘Doc’ file format; for other file formats, you must use the above-described manual method. Therefore, it is true that Canva falls short in this area because they do not offer the same indent features that Microsoft Word and Point do. However, the outcome can still be obtained manually in a number of ways.

FAQ

1. Does Canva offer an indent feature?

Ans. Yes, Canva offers the indent feature, but only in the ‘Doc’ file format; for other formats, you have to create indent manually.

2. Can we use the “Tab” key to indent in Canva?

Ans. Yes, we can use the “Tab” key to indent in Canva, but the fact is that it will work only in the ‘Doc’ file format; for other formats, it won’t work.

3. Is it possible to add a hanging indent in Canva?

Ans. Absolutely yes, but remember, there is no direct way to add a hanging indent in Canva; you must do it manually. First, create multiple text boxes and put your content into them. Next, group all the text boxes except for the first one. Finally, move the grouped text boxes to the right side to create a hanging indent.